Edwin albeet hayes



(NoMode1.)- 0 E. A. HAYES.

FOLDING LIFE RAFT.

No. 300,073. I Patented June 10, 1884.

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1';. j: i r w I a WITNESSES:

FFIQEO EDWIN ALBERT HAYES, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

FOLDING LIIFE=RAFT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 300,073, dated June 10, 1884.

Application filed November 2, 1883. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWIN ALBERT HAYES, of the city of New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Folding Life-rafts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I represents a side view of my folding life-raft folded up; Fig. II, a plan View of the same; Fig. III, a partial cross-section of the same on the line as m, Fig. II; Fig. IV, a partial vertical longitudinal section on the line y Fig. II; Fig. V, a reduced plan view of the end of my raft distended; Fig. VI, a reduced horizontal section of my metal float on the line a a, Fig. III.

Similar lettersindicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

This invention relates to folding life-rafts adapted to be closed or folded up for convenience in transportation ,and also adapted, upon being distended,to present a large floating-surter tight material, as of rubber, bladder, or

even light metal; in the use of devices adapted to connect the same together; in the combination,with the same,of a metallic float provided with devices suitable for the storage and distribution of oil, and in various other minor particulars, hereinafter described.

In constructing my float A, I first make a core consisting of a number of air cushions or compartments, a, running longitudinally, and placed and attached end to end, the whole being bound together, so as toform, as it were, a strand or cable. As many of these strands are then bound together as may be necessary to make the core of the desired diameter. After carefully filling all the interstices with granular cork or other buoyant material, I wind helically around the core a chain or strand formed of a series of similar air-cushions, thus forming an annular series of air cushions or compartments, a. Upon the layer thus formed I attached another layer of longitudinal air-cushions, a, and then an annular series, a, and so on until the float be-V tomes of the required size. All the interstices may now be carefully filled with gran ular cork, after which I cover or envelop the whole with a covering, a of air and water tight material, as of canvas, leather, or the like. The extreme ends of the floats A are provided with air-cocks a*, attached to the cover a and adapted to allow the same to be put under certain atmospheric pressure, and the cover and float to be distended thereby to their fullest extent, and also adapted to permanently confine the air so introduced within the floats A. At the extremities of the floats A are placed removable metallic guardingshields (R, the ends of which are provided with apertures a through which protrude the before-mentioned cocks a. By means of this construction of parts, shown and described, a buoy possessing a maximum of buoyancy, to-

gether with a minimum of weight, may be obtained. I prefer to make these floats of cylindrical form, ordinarily of about sixteen inches in diameter,with cone-shaped ends, the total length of the floats being about sixteen feet. On either or both sides of the floats A are longitudinal lateral strips of wood B,which guards serve to strengthen and protect the buoy, and which may be rigidly attached to the sides of the float by marline b, or any equivalent material. The cone-shaped metallic guarding-shields aflwhich maybe constructed so as to be removable at will, cover the said extremities of the floats, as already described, and also extend for a distance up the cones of the floats, and then, branching off in two arms, join the lateral protecting-strips B on either or both sides, and may be attached to the same by marline or other suitable material.

A hollow cylindrical bolt, 0, provided with a screw-thread upon its exterior surface, is placed near each end of the floats A, and runs through the longitudinal axis of the floats in a vertical direction, and is secured thereto by thumb-screw nuts 0, placed above and below the floats. I ordinarily use two hollow vertical bolts 0 for each float, which bolts also serve to hold in position two longitudinal parallel flat bars or boards, D, one of which is placed above andbne below each float A, and both of which are rigidly attached to the float by means of the aforesaid vertical hollow bolts and thumb-screw nuts.

In. constructing my sectional and folding.

life-raft, I ordinarily attach together two floats, constructed as described, by means of, preferably, two pairs of folding ties, E, hinged or pivoted together at their inner ends at their longitudinal centers, the other or outer ends being attached, respectively, to the two floats by means of the vertical hollow bolts 0 and thumb-screw nuts 0, aforesaid, one pair of the folding ties being placed near each end of the buoys. The points where each pair of folding cross-ties E are pivoted together by means of the vertical hollow bolts 0 and nuts 0', similar to those already described, are connected by a flat horizontal bar or board, f, running in a longitudinal direction, which I term a top bracing-board, which board is thus attached at each end with a pairof folding cross-ties. The bracing-board serves to steady the cross ties and to cause them to act uniformly when folding or distending the raft; and I also place a duplicate arrangement of parts consisting of cross-ties and a bracing-board (similar to those at the top or upper surface of the raft) upon the under or lower face of the raft, which, acting in a similar manner to, and in unison with, the first described cross ties and bracingboard, serve to steady and strengthen my raft.

Between the upper and lower bracing-boards f, and connected with the same by the common bolts 0 and nuts 0', I place a secondary buoy, 13, consisting of, preferably, metallic airtight chambers f, and provided with an interior isolated longitudinal water-tight compartment or tank, f which may be of any approved size, and which may be connected with two longitudinal tubes or-pipes, f provided with a longitudinal series of perforations, f, by means of two transverse tubes or conduits, f each provided with two cocks, f and f The tank f may be supplied with oil and kept in a filled condition by means of the firstmentioned cocks, f but upon launching the raft in a stormy sea the tank may be gradually emptied and the oil caused to trickle through the perforations in thelongitudinal pipes f by means of the opened cocks in the connectingtubes f thereby becoming slowly distributed upon the surface of the water, and thus serving to mitigate for a long period the violence of the waves, and enabling the raft to be manipulated, even in a violent storm, without loss of life.

A modification of my invention consists in the combination of the oil-tank with the perforated pipes placed along the exterior surfaces of vessels, without the use of any intermediate cocks, in which case the tank may be kept normally empty and only filled at the time the distribution of oil is required. The other cocks mentioned,f, serve for the purpose of cleaning the longitudinal perforated pipes ffland for removing any dirt from the perforations therein by means of the use, in connection with the same,of any force-pump or other apparatus by which air, water, or steam may be forced through the perforations of thelongitudinal pipes f, and which apparatus may also be used, if desired, to spray the oil a distance from the buoy. The space in the interior of the chamber f of the float between the tank f 2 and the sides of the float may be divided into eompartmentsf which may be utilized for the storage of water, provisions, &c., which may be handled by means of the manholes f providedwith air-tightheads placed at various distances along the top and bottom of the float F.

Oil-tanks similar to the one described may also be placed in or upon theexterior floats, A, of the raft, and may also be used in connection with perforated pipes similar to those described, running in a longitudinal direction along the exterior of the sides of the buoys A, and placed under the lateral'guards B; and, in

fact, my system of the storage of oil in tanks and the distribution of the same by means of connecting-tubes and perforated pipes may be applied also to any vessel adapted to float upon water.

The pair of folding cross-ties E at the ends of the floatsA may be of such length in relation to the other parts of my improvement that when they are placed in line with each other the floats A will be distended the proper or desired distance apart.

The upper bracing-board f and the floats A on each side may also be connected, in ad dition to the pair of primary distensible crossties, E, already described, by a secondary series of folding cross-ties, 6, also hinged at their longitudinal centers, and pivoted or otherwise attached, each side, respectively, to the bracing-board and to the buoys, and running par allel to and placed between (but preferablysmaller than) the primary folding cross-ties E, care being taken to make any secondary folding cross-tie e removable that may pass over any man-holef in the central metallic float,F.

In order to manipulate the raftas, for example, for the purpose of distending it or of folding it together when open-it only becomes necessary to loosen the thumb-screw nuts 0 and c, in which case the vertical hollow bolts 0 and O serve as pivot-joints for the folding cross-ties E and e and bracing-boards f, as and in the manner described.

A folding or hinged dashboard, H, may be placed between the exterior floats, A, of my raft when distended, and may be attached, as by bolts h, to the bracing-boards f A rectangular sheet, G, of canvas or equivalent material, may be placed over thefolding cross-ties, and may be attached to the floats A.

The vertical hollow bolts 0 C also serve as receptacles for masts J, which may be fitted to the interior cylindrical openings of the bolts, thereby being rigidly held in an upright position.

Oar-locks (1 may be inserted in the horizontal flat boards D, and life-lines may also be attached to the outside pair of longitudinal lateral strips, B, in the manner customary in rafts of this description.

In cases where it may be deemed desirable,

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to construct a larger raft, I attach a number of rafts or sections (constructed as described) together; and to that end I provide each section or raft with what I term a swivel connectingboard, K, one end of which is pivoted and secured to the horizontal flat board D by the vertical bolt and thumb-screw nut c,'de scribed, the other end being free, and being provided with a hole or opening by which it may be attached in a similar manner to an adj acent raft or section.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a life-raft,.the buoys A, constructed of a core consisting of a series of longitudinal airchambers, a, and surrounded by alternate layers of annular and longitudinal air-compartments, in combination with a filling of granular cork or equivalent placed in the interstices between the same, and with an exterior covering, a forthe whole, consisting of canvas or other water-tight material, substantially as described.

2. In a life-raft, the buoy A, consisting of a body constructed of a number of air-chambers, a, and an exterior covering, a for the same, of canvas or like water-proof material, and provided with an air-cock, a, for the purpose of inflating the float, in combination with removable metal guarding-shields a placed at the extreme points of the buoy, substan tially as and .for the purpose set forth.

3. In a folding life-raft, the combination, with the buoys A and distensible cross-ties E, jointed at their longitudinal centers, and the top bracing-board f, of the secondary distensible cross-ties 6, also jointed at their longitudinal centers, and adapted to be attached to the buoys A and to the top bracing-board f, substantially as described.

4. In a buoy or other vessel adapted to float upon water, the combination, with an oil-tank, f and with perforated longitudinal pipes f placed at the sides or other exterior surfaces of the buoy, of tubes f 4 or other conduits adapted to connect the same with the tank, substantially as described, whereby the oil in the tank f" may be gradually distributed by means of and through the perforations in the longitudinal pipes, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a buoy or other vessel adapted to float upon water, the combination, with an oil-tank, f and with perforated longitudinal pipes f placed at the sides or other exterior surfaces of the buoy, of tubesf or other conduits adapted to connect the same with the tank, substantially as described, and provided with cocks f whereby the oil may be confined in the tank or gradually distributed through the perforat-ed longitudinal pipes at will, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a buoy or other vessel adapted to float upon water, the combination, with an oil-tank, f and with perforated longitudinal pipes f placed at the sides or other exterior surfaces of the buoy, of tubes f or other conduits adapted to connect the same with the tank, and provided with two set-s of cocks, f and f-one, f adapted to supply the pipes f with oil from the tank at pleasure, and the other, f, adapted to supply the pipes f 3 with air, water, did, for cleansing purposessubstantial1y as described.

7. In a folding liferaft, the combination, with the exterior buoys, A, the distensible crossties E, jointed at their longitudinal centers, and the bracing-boards f, of the central float, F, provided with a water-tight chamber, f, and also provided with man-holes f, and adapted to containwater and provisions, substantially as specified.

8. In a folding 1ife-raft, the combination, with the exterior floats, A, of a central buoy, F, consisting of a water -tight chamber, f, adapted to contain water and provisions, and also provided with an oil-tank, f, and of the distensible cross-ties E, jointed at their longitudinal centers, or equivalent devices, for connecting the three float-s together, substantially as described. 7

EDWIN ALBERT HAYES.

Nitnesses:

JONATHAN ODELL FOWLER, J r., VVALTER J OHN CATELY. 

